


Draw a New Day

by OddsAndMonsters



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Light Angst, M/M, Mentally ill Draco, Romance, Though its not blatantly said
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-26
Updated: 2015-09-26
Packaged: 2018-04-23 12:50:57
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,191
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4877515
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OddsAndMonsters/pseuds/OddsAndMonsters
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Draco is done with pretending to be who his father wants, he wants to be himself. He wants to be okay.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Draw a New Day

Draco had been two different people since he was a boy. The second he was old enough to talk Lucius ingrained in him the ability to deceive, to hide his true self. When Draco first laid eyes on Harry Potter he wanted to know him immediately. This bright eyed boy with a past he himself barely knew the extent of. But Lucius words came to Draco like a slap to the face, “Malfoys have always been and will always will be superior to those they do not know”. So Draco put on his second skin and thought of the family his father had insulted hundreds of times. And that was the end of what Draco had wished to become a new beginning.

_____________

The morning chill seeping into Draco’s sweater sent awareness through his spine, one of his favorite parts of morning.The worries of his last year of Hogwarts slipping away. He sat against the large willow tree by the outskirts of the castle and closed his eyes. He wanted to become the autumn breeze, to live in the smell of damp earth. Fall was Draco’s favorite season of them all. Taking one last deep breath of the breeze, he picked up the hardbound sketchbook next to him. He thought of the soft, gentle face of his mother before she had waved him goodbye on the train. Her blond locks falling around her in messy tendrils, eyes red rimmed yet bright. Hopeful eyes for her son to start once more. A rare sight from his usually well kept mother. He grabbed his charcoal and set to work. Starting out with the outline of her face. Moving on to her striking eyes, her spent extra time to make sure her eyes were the most moving feature. Not noticing the red of his cheeks, and the cold seeping into his clothes.

When he was done, he felt even better than he had before. Drawing had always left him feeling relieved and at peace. It was a sort of release. Not noticing how late it had become after looking at the red of the sky fading into a gentle blue, he grabbed his things and hurried to breakfast. After arriving through the large doors alone and quite late, he scurried to his table. After all eyes had left him Pansy had scooted right by him.

“ Goodmorning darling, done with you morning dissapearence?”, she asked fondly.

“ It was rather refreshing, thank you “

“Are you ever going to tell us where you run off to?”, Blaise muttered with a raised eyebrow.

“ Maybe”, Draco whispered distractedly. Biting at his lip, he turned away to eat before a long day of classes.

________________________

Draco has thought his day was off to a good start, until of course, it was ruined by some vengeful third-years.

“ You should have never come back, a death eater like you! “, a girl by the name of Heloise? He couldn’t be sure.

" Darling anger doesn’t suit you, do run off before you’re late”, he said nonchalantly.He put up a shield just in case.

“ You’re an evil fucking ponce who should’ve been sent to Azskaban like your father!”, she screamed wand poised with a vengeful look in her eye.

Draco stilled, his morning calm dissapearing within seconds. He turned and got closer to the girl, she took a few steps back in caution. Draco wished he could say this was his only encounter with hateful encounters, he still had a bruise from a nasty hex a week ago. He was tired, his other self who would have hexed the girl and ran was gone. He was done with sneering glares at anyone who looked at him funny. He wanted to atone, he just wanted to exist as his real self.

“ Listen… Heloise, i believe that is your name”, she nodded, “ I was raised to become a death eater, raised to disregard feelings, to become a force of dark magic. What i did in the war and especially before was a result of the conditions and morals i was raised with. I am deeply sorry for any pain the war has caused you. More than i could ever say. It does not matter how many times i apologize to you, or anyone else who has come to despise me. But you are better than this rage you are feeling. Move on, darling”.

By the end of his tirade he saw she had dropped her rageful gaze, and put her wand back. She still didn’t trust him, but she knew there was a truth to his words. She nodded and walked calmly back to her original direction. As Draco realized he was now late, he blocked out the guilt aching in his gut, in thick heavy waves. Putting up a calm he walked to transfiguration and merely nodded when Mcgonagall took points from Slytherin and sat him next to Harry Potter.

Taking a seat, Draco gave Harry a nervous nod and focused on the lesson. With his sketchbook nestled in his lap, he chanced a glance at Harry. Who looked a bit rougher than he. Dark circles almost purple sat beneath his bright green eyes. Raven hair messy (more so than usual) and a spaced out look in his eyes . Who wouldnt be a bit of a mess after defeating the dark lord and going back to school? As he realized he had not just been glancing but quite blatantly staring, Harry looked over. His eyes widening a little after being shocked Draco was still looking at him, he gave a tentative but tired smile.

Draco smiled back and nodded as class was being dismissed. Too distracted to notice his sketchbook slipping from his lap he got up and in quite the daze, left.

As Harry got up he tripped over quite a heavy book right next to his seat. Ron rushed over to help him up as Hermione grabbed his glasses from next to him.

“ Mate, what did you even slip on?”, Ron asked confusedly.

Hermione reached behind Harry and grabbed the thick black sketchbook with no name  on the cover and handed it to him.

“I think Draco dropped it before he left. “, she stated.

“ Well open it!” , Ron said excitedly. Harry was not sure but curious as he nodded for her to open it.

As she cracked it open to a random page she gasped, and flicked her eyes all over the page before turning it around for the boys to see.

“These are absolutely gorgeous! “, she exclaimed.

“Draco Malfoy…. ex death eater and now quietest kid in school … an artist?”, Ron tithered.

Harry was surprised and impressed as he grabbed it and scanned through the many drawings. His favorite so far being a man sitting on a bench outside what seemed to be The Hogs Head. Done in dark charcoal and light watercolor it painted a gentle scene of calm.

“ Why don’t we look at this in the common room you guys?”, he offered.

As they walked to the common room he wondered when he could give this back. He knew Ron would want to think of a plan to keep it and get revenge on malfoy, but something had changed in Draco. He didn’t even act like who the wizarding world thought he was. It was like people had almost forgotten about Draco. But Harry hadn’t. Harry could never stop thinking about Draco from time to time.

_____________________

As Draco sat in front of a fire with Pansy playing with his hair, he began thinking again. It had been rough coming back to Hogwarts at first. People either ignoring him or hating him. Except for Blaise and Pansy of course. Draco’s world before he changed and let go of his second skin, was always muted. Was grey and feelings never quite feeling real, save for anger. The sky was dull, his view quite apathetic, morals set in stone.

After he had realized he was almost becoming his second skin, becoming his father, he began educating himself. Looked to Pansy for comfort, looked to Blaise for understanding. And to both of them for loyalty. He realized his view on purebloods was deluded. Clouded by his childhood fear of not knowing anything else but the pure lifestyle. He began drawing and realized he had talent. It became a release.

“When are you going to show us your drawings Draco?”, Pansy whispered.

He jerked up, startling her, remembering he did not have his sketchbook with him.

“Pansy, if you help me find where i put my sketchbook ill show you all of them!”, he jumped up, and began pacing. Oh gods he must have dropped it in transfiguration class. Who knows who could have it, it could be in the hands of anyone. So much of his pain had gone into some of those drawings.

“Draco, darling, please dont worry Blaise and i will help find it! “, she rushed over to his side grabbing both of his hands in hers. He was starting to panic, she could see it in his eyes, his hands still shaking in hers. She told him to take deep breaths with hers, all the while thanking merlin no one was in the common room right now.

When Draco calmed and leaned his head onto her shoulder, soft hair tickling her nose, she kissed his head. Sitting Draco behind her on the couch, she grabbed a quill and sent a message to Blaise in his room. Her owl flew off with an irritated gaze.

Draco worried her often lately, he had told her he was done with what he called his ‘ second skin’. He told her of how Lucius caused him pain, how he was raised, how it was with Voldemort living in his home. She had noticed how letting go of his wall had affected him. Feelings were a little strange to him but he was doing as ok as she could expect him to be.

When Blaise showed up Draco immediately grabbed both their hands and led them to the corridor by transfigurations. As they went into the now empty room they found nothing. Draco was panicked and upset. They took him back to his room and put him to bed. Doing their homework in his private rooms to keep an eye on him. They talked of how they had changed. How everyone was tired. They wanted to be ok.

_________________

The golden trio had taken refuge in the deserted common rooms in the gryffindor tower. Sitting on the floor by the large fireplace, they scanned through the drawings. All in awe at the beauty of these pieces. Their were many they held back tears at the sight of. There was one of a young Draco hiding under the table as a fight between what looked like Lucius and Bellatrix went on. Draco was excellent with detail,the bright colors from their wands using india ink. The faces done in watercolor, the background in graphite. It was so striking and full of pain that a tear slipped from Harry. As they silent moved through the pages they all were starting to feel for the Slytherin they had hated before.

No longer was he sneering and rude. Now he was just tired and spoke gently, floating through the halls.

As they closed the book, they wished each other goodnight and went to their beds. Harry would give it to Draco tomorrow.

_________________

At breakfast the next morning Draco sat silent and not eating. Blaise shooting him worried looks and patting his hand. Pansy letting him lean his head on her shoulder, and coaxing him into at least eating a piece of toast. The entire Slytherin table sharing confused and a little concerned glances.

The golden trio talking quietly at the Gryffindor table were shooting nervous glances at Draco. All realizing they maybe shouldn’t have pried, though they did have a better understanding of the boy.

As they sat in transfiguration, Harry worriedly tapped on the cover of the sketchbook in his lap. As Draco sat down sadly and glanced at Harry, he realized the book in his lap. His eyes widened, and he cast a frightened look that Harry felt horrible.

“Did you look in it?” , he asked nervously.

“ I, erm… yes. Im really sorry Draco but i do want to tell you they are amazing”

“I…you what?”, Draco was shocked to say the least. He thought Harry despised him.

“ They really are quite good, and i think it gave me an insight to you i didnt have beofre”.

Draco mulled it over for a second and decided he was done with rivalry.

“Harry… would you want to talk sometime? I’ve been thinking a lot lately and i do think we need to sort out some things”. Draco was shaking but he knew he needed to say this.

“That would be …. quite nice actually. Tonight maybe? We could meet by the old willow outside”.

Draco smiled, mood lifted immensely.

“Sounds fantastic”, he said. A small smile playing on his lips.

He delighted in the thought that maybe this time, things were going to be alright for awhile.


End file.
